A Kidnapper rescue task-force chances upon a hiding full of dead corpses after it decimates the miscreants linked with a Mexican drug cartel. While at it, a bomb goes on killing 2 officers, escalating the case to CIA. The CIA meticulously plans an inter-country mission to penetrate through the cartel’s commanding hierarchy & annihilate its boss. For this, the help of a secretive man is sought.
Language:
English
Running Time:
123 min
Rating:
U/A
Release date:
18 September 2015
Directed by:
Denis Villeneuve
Produced by:
Basil Iwanyk
Thad Luckinbill
Trent Luckinbill
Edward McDonnell
Molly Smith
Written by:
Taylor Sheridan
Starring:
Emily Blunt
Benicio del Toro
Josh Brolin
Victor Garber
Jon Bernthal
Jeffrey Donovan
Music by:
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Shot by:
Roger Deakins
Editing by:
Joe Walker
Distributed by:
Lionsgate

What’s Hot

  • Director Denis Villeneuve & the film’s writer Taylor Sheridan collaborate to come up with intricate detailing on a CIA Operation and add enough suspenseful moments to keep the watch engaging for the viewer. There is a dialogue towards the end of the film (on the rules of the land and land of the wolves) and the film’s treatment seems to be intended to have that shown as a parallel track.
  • Benicio Del Toro, as Alejandro – the mystery-man in the operation, subtly emotes to bring out the intrigue around the man’s devastating past, and in the action scenes, commands a cool yet ruthless presence.
  • Through the characters of Emily Blunt, who plays the clueless junior officer Kate Macer & Josh Brolin who plays the commanding officer for the CIA Matt Graver, the stark contrast in the way CIA & FBI operate , the need for it, the rightness (or the lack of it) & the manipulations involved are brought to debate well
  • In Roger Deakins’ camera, the enormity of the operation is covered through long-drawn aerial shots & the angles chosen for the action blocks make them more thrilling. Joe Walker’s editing gets highlighted in the cross-border capture sequence.
  • Johann Johannsson’s music is enthralling having its loud moments at apt points & the sound mixing lets the music be in sync with the manner in which the suspense builds on-screen. The VFX comes to the party in a night-sequence inside a tunnel replicating monitoring shots from an UAV to perfection.

What’s Not

  • In its bid to stay apolitical, there is a track involving a lower member of the cartel. That looks a bit off the tangent to the story and doesn’t cause the needed impact.
  • While there is tremendous focus on detailing, the same deters the film from moving at a very brisk pace as the breadth it covers is too less in comparison with depth.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Sicario is a great example of how even a film with a straight-forward plot can be made suspenseful with detailing & an apt use of Camera, Music, Editing, debate-evoking dialogues involving contrasting characters that have a sense of intrigue about them